InterCity Group has been on a sustainable journey since 1998 however, it was in 2005 that we developed a set of core sustainable principles that now underpin a wide range of current business decisions and the way we deliver our products and services to our customers.
For key milestones and moments we are proud of on our journey please see our track record.
We are a tourism and transport company and we recognise that even though operating sustainably means we need to focus on a wide range of things, for us our biggest sustainability challenge and the biggest contribution we can make to New Zealand’s sustainability is to work constantly to lower our emission profile. This is why our sustainability program is entitled ‘destination carbon neutral’.
For us, destination carbon neutral represents a journey more than an isolated destination. The destination is clear in our minds, however the journey is the most important focus, for without the journey the destination will be unreachable.
Like all commercial organisations the most important partner on our journey will always be our customers, without them being prepared to join us on this journey it will end in failure. The reason why is best put as follows.
'We can't be green if we are in the red'
This statement sits at the top of every sustainability project or strategy we follow. The challenge for all organisations in the 21st century is how we can be economically sustainable and environmentally sustainable.
In 1998 InterCity was the first transport operator in New Zealand to introduce ticketless travel. The result was an instant 80% saving in paper use. Since then we have moved on to engage in and develop a number of more deliberate sustainable projects. Three underpin our approach today.
Northland Sustainable Tourism Charter: Northland was the first region in New Zealand to develop a sustainable tourism charter and Fullers Bay of Islands was a founding signatory to that charter. Today we operate all our businesses in Northland (and across New Zealand for that matter) in accordance with the principles of this charter.
For a copy of this charter click here
New Zealand is currently exploring a national emission trading scheme (ETS). At this point in time the long term structure of the proposed ETS is unclear. With the reduction in emissions achieved over the last 7 years InterCity will currently fall below minimum emissions levels to be included in the proposed scheme. Despite this the ETS proposes to levy a 'fuel tax' on all fuel. If this was to occur, InterCity would in effect be asked to subsidise those transport operators who have done nothing to reduce their emissions profile over recent times as we would be forced to pay the fuel tax. This would be disappointing and we hope the scheme will be structured to reward those who make an effort to reduce their emission profiles rather than punish them.
It is relevant to note that modern engine technology means that you can lower your emission profile however this does not automatically mean you will burn less fuel.
Useful links
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz – Landcare Research is New Zealand's foremost environmental research organisation and manages InterCity Group's carbon neutral certification process.
http://www.wbcsd.org – The World Business Council for Sustainable Development developed the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the reporting standard that the carboNZero standard is based on. You can download the Greenhouse Gas Protocol from this site.
http://www.eeca.govt.nz – The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) develops and raises awareness of renewable energy and ways to use energy more efficiently.
Kaitiakitanga & Manaakitanga: These two words and the concepts they represent originated from New Zealand Maori. On any sustainable journey they are concepts that apply more today than they possibly did hundreds of years in the past from where they came.
Kaitiakitanga: Whilst this word represents a wide range of things it can be summed nicely in the following.
'The concept of guardianship of the people, the land, the environment and the spirit that links them all.'
Maori people believe they belong to the land, not that the land belongs to them. Kaitiakitanga is used to guard today to ensure there is enough for tomorrow.
Manaakitanga: Underpins the spirit of hospitality, the concept of warmth and shared experiences.
We adopted both of these concepts into our core business planning in 2006. The 2015 New Zealand Tourism Strategy, released in 2007 also has these values at its core.